Abstract

On 11 September 2001, events unfolded that may have changed the world irrevocably for the worst. Has anything changed? The world after 11 September is a less secure place. The events of 9/11 will go down in history as a defining moment just as World War One, World War Two and the Cold War has. Political differences have not entirely been set aside to create more amicable international relations, but have rather served to highlight the intense differences that continue to exacerbate how states view one another in the world today. There is definitely a greater sense of vigilance, improved national security and the emergence of a worrying trend in which the normal functioning of societal life is being subordinated by the overwhelming stress placed on greater security while sacrificing liberty. 11 September 2001 reintroduced the debate on whether the world of tomorrow will come to be defined exclusively according to security and military relations, and less on the more optimistic era of globalisation, which has dominated international relations up to now. Greater isolation as opposed to increased integration, characterised by globalisation, may become the norm that governs international relations. 11 September may become the catalyst for the securitisation of world politics.